Behind Blue Eyes
by Thirty-One Cards
Summary: When Star is saved from a ghost attack by the last person she ever thought capable, she starts paying closer attention to Danny Fenton. She isn't sure what she'll find, but does know one thing; she won't stop until she finds something. Updated summary since I found myself connecting the one-shots too much.
1. Game-Night

**Behind Blue Eyes**

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**I don't own Danny Phantom, but man I wish I did.**

**_Five times Star thinks she knows Danny Fenton and one time she admits she doesn't. _As you can tell, this isn't going to be a very long story, but yes the following chapters will take place following the events of this one. Some events are planned while others are open to change.**

**Read on, readers.**

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**Game Night**

Star looked over her reflection in the mirror, judging her own outfit before going out to meet Paulina. Tonight was the first football game of the season and everyone was super pumped for it, practically the whole school would be there so she had to look her best.

Her make-up changed her complexion just enough that she wasn't as pale as her white short-sleeved shirt, her orange jeans were freshly dry-cleaned and her white flats were newly shined. She put a hand on her hip, leaning slightly to see if it helped accentuate her figure at all like it seemed to do for Paulina.

"How does she do it?" Star muttered to herself, trying another position.

She was more than confident in both her body and her looks, except somehow Paulina always managed to make her feel inferior. They were best friends, but sometimes Star hated the Latina with everything she could. With Paulina, it was never that easy though.

Sighing in aggravation she let her hand drop to her side, deciding to forego the modeling all together and focused on getting ready again. She grabbed her two favorite hair clips from the jewelry box on her desk. One was an orange flower, clipped easily into the mass of blonde hair that hung down on the left side of her head. The second was one she saved for special occasions, a light blue star-shaped hair clip that was slightly smaller than the palm-sized flower she normally wore. Star clipped the star into place with a grin, putting it slightly in front of the orange flower to make her hair appear shorter on the left as her blonde mane hung down to nearly her waist.

Running her fingers through her hair one more time, Star smiled at her reflection. Last but not least, she put on Kwan's Letterman jacket to show support for her designated boyfriend even though early September wasn't known for it's cool and refreshing temperatures.

"The things I do for popularity." She sighed out, already feeling sweaty in the oversized jacket.

Nonetheless, she grabbed her turquoise purse and slung it over her shoulder. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror before pulling herself away and leaving her bedroom, heading out to meet Paulina at the football field.

* * *

"It's a good thing we got here so early, seats went really fast." Star commented from the bleachers.

They had gotten good seats in the third row, only behind what looked like the families of some members on the team that stayed to watch the practice too. The girls ended up on the end of their row, making it easy to slip out for bathroom breaks, snack trips or the event of a ghost attack.

"Totally." Paulina replied shortly, glancing down at her recently manicured nails. Star couldn't help but feel put out by the response. So, she couldn't resist zoning out while Paulina began talking her ear off about a new set of heels she wanted.

She could see the team getting ready to start; both teams huddled up planning out their moves. The bleachers were full of faces she recognized both from school and around town. If she didn't know them by name, she knew them by face. It was no surprise that she saw almost the entire class there; they were juniors now, they wanted to start off the year having fun. Which is why she was only slightly surprised when she noticed a familiar mess of black hair in the crowd. Only one boy had hair that messy and dark, so when the mom in front of him sat down (finally!) Star was greeted with the sight of Danny Fenton, sitting in the row behind them but a lot closer to the middle of his section.

Fenton was a strange one.

For the longest time, all he seemed to care about was joining the ranks of their A-list. She remembered him and his geek friend Tucker Foley plotting and scheming all through junior high to befriend someone, anyone that could help improve their social status.

Then freshman year, things just changed. They tried harder than ever for a few months, but after that- not a word from either of them. There was even a point in time Fenton outright rejected an offer to join AND the rumor mill says he dumped Paulina! Although Paulina denies they were ever together, there were a lot of people that claimed otherwise. It was like they suddenly didn't care about popularity anymore, like they became content with their own lives.

In a way, Star admired and even envied that. There were days she wished she wasn't friends with Paulina or dreamed about leaving the A-list but she knew she'd never do it. They could destroy her if she thought about leaving, and staying wasn't the worst thing; they really were her friends, after all.

"Are you even listening to me?" Paulina's voice rose in volume and brought Star out of her own head. "What are you even looking at?"

Star turned rather quickly, embarrassed at being caught spacing out, to face her friend but Paulina's face was a lot closer than she remembered. Paulina had leaned over to see where her gaze was.

"Aw, look at the freak boy- here all by himself. How lame." Paulina mocked, giggling rather loudly.

Star only just noticed that she was right, beside him were two near strangers. One from school, one she recognized as a cashier in the supermarket. Neither of his friends Manson and Foley were anywhere near him, which might explain his rather bored expression as he leaned forward on his knees and held his head in his hands.

Rather odd, Manson and Foley stuck to Fenton like glue for the most part. It was like they were afraid to let him out of their sight or he'd disappear on them. Like that would happen, Fenton didn't have anyone else to go to outside of his freaky family.

Although she never understood why, since he didn't remind her of the typical bully target. He was a bit awkward, sure, but he was always nice if not downright polite when he spoke. If you pushed his buttons, maybe you'd get a few jabs and sarcastic comments out of him but not always. He seemed content to walk away from any situation that seemed like it would go further than a casual greeting, whether 'further' meant 'let's get lunch' or turning into a shouting match.

He wasn't ugly either, and more importantly he wasn't what Paulina considered ugly. There were no braces, pimples, freckles or glasses, he wasn't overweight and he wasn't covered in body hair. He didn't have any particularly bad habits that might get on someone's nerves; he didn't smell, he didn't shout, he didn't chew with his mouth open. By all accounts on everyone's regard, Danny Fenton was an average teenager with hardly anything special about him.

"Look at that cut on his arm! It looks new, I bet he got it doing something stupid on his way here." Paulina continued on.

The most noteworthy thing about him was his constant sketchy behavior that last year created a rumor that he was in a gang. He was always leaving classes halfway though, sometimes coming back but not always, and showed up late for more classes than Star was on time for the whole year. He always seemed to be both around for all the crazy and nowhere near it. All that coupled with the various injuries he's been seen walking around with made for a lot of interesting school buzz.

Ultimately, the rumor mill decided that Danny Fenton wasn't in a gang and was only an extremely tardy teenager with an adrenaline addiction that led to dangerous stunts and a high pain tolerance. Everyone was more than content to agree and move on.

"What's he even doing here?" Paulina finished her nit picking on the Fenton boy.

Star conceded that she had a good point that time, why was he here? It probably wasn't to show support or school spirit, and he definitely wasn't friends with anyone on the football team unless he became really okay with taking beatings and being shoved into lockers all of the sudden.

She didn't have time to dwell on the question, though, as the loud noise of a whistle brought her attention back to the field before them. The teams were marching out into formation as the refs and coaches took their positions. The game was starting. Star took one last glance behind her at Fenton, who looked entirely uninterested in the game about to unfold.

She looked away.

* * *

The game was only half over, but everyone was very excited; it didn't look like Elmerton would be able to catch up; they had only scored one field goal so far compared to the multiple touchdowns Dash and Kwan had amassed already. It was shaping up to be a really good evening and Paulina was already talking to her about plans to celebrate the win after with Dash and Kwan when suddenly, the temperature dropped.

Star, previously sweating underneath Kwan's Letterman jacket, shivered and tried to rub her hands together for warmth. Everyone from Amity Park knew what was happening; a ghost was about to show up. Nobody moved yet, unsure of exactly what would happen; if they stopped what they were doing every time a ghost showed up nothing would ever get done.

But when they heard laughter and one popped into view, dramatically waving its arms around they knew they got one of the crazy ones. Best thing to do was run, try not to trip and hope Danny Phantom showed up in time to stop it.

Almost at once, the crowd stood and bolted. Paulina, being at the edge, was off first and gone before Star could even blink. She attempted to follow, only to be ruthlessly shoved through by a family of six and then again by a middle-aged man. Losing her balance on the side, she fell to the ground with a thud and could only roll underneath the set of bleachers she was just on top of to avoid being trampled by the crowd of people still running away.

She collected herself and peaked between bleachers to see what was going on, getting her first good look at the ghost.

It was one she hadn't seen before, a rare occurrence. Ghosts attacked very frequently, but rarely did a new one show their face anymore; they had their own rogues' gallery of ghosts by now. This one was sports themed, so attacking a football game was not a coincidence.

It had green skin like a lot of ghosts, but orange eyes and a football helmet on. Covering its body was what looked like a baseball uniform, and a very plain one at that. A simple black short sleeved shirt with an orange long sleeved undershirt and brown stripes running down the chest. It looked to be wearing ice skates at the bottom that were plain black, but with blades that were a bright Ectoplasmic green. The jersey had a bright orange '35' on the front, sewn with green stitches.

"What's the matter? Does nobody want to play ball?" The ghost cried out, creating a large blast of ectoplasm in its hand and throwing it at the field.

Players that were still evacuating were thrown around like nothing, trying to avoid the debris. It laughed again, throwing more and more blasts and keeping groups of people from escaping. Star panicked, unsure of what to do. How could Paulina not wait for her?

"Star? What are you still doing here?" A voice cut through her thoughts.

She turned to see Danny Fenton under the bleachers with her, sounding a lot more surprised than scared.

"I panicked and hid instead of running away." Star lied easily, unwilling to tell the boy about how she had been pushed aside like yesterdays mail. "What about you? You're normally the first person off the scene of ghost attacks, Fenton."

She tried to put an edge on her voice, unwilling to answer questions that could lead to her embarrassment.

"Oh, I uh- I fell of the bleachers in all the panic. You know me, so clumsy." Fenton replied through mild stuttering.

Star wasn't sure whether to get angry or not at the indirect insult, but didn't have time to think before Fenton yelled and lunged.

"Get down!" He cried, leaping forward and practically tackling her to the ground.

Somehow, he grabbed her so one hand cradled her head and prevented it from slamming into the ground while the other was around her waist, doing a good job of not letting it touch the ground either. After a brief second, she watched as his face clenched in pain before relaxing as she felt her back and waist touch the ground with surprising tenderness.

"Are you okay?" Fenton asked immediately, blue eyes searching all over her form.

Star could only nod through her surprise. She felt Fenton relax even more, slipping his hand out from under her head as he pushed himself off of her and stood up. Star sat up too, still dazed.

"Okay, I'll go, uh, get his attention, you get outta here." Fenton told her, running out from under the bleachers.

Star could only watch in complete shock as the kid who wouldn't look Dash in the eye lazily strolled onto the center of the now empty football field to confront a ghost. Specifically so she could get away. She started to walk towards the exit, only a few feet from where she was hiding

"Hey ball breath, you missed." Fenton said with such conviction Star couldn't help but glance back.

The ghost seemed surprised at first, which Star guessed was fair, but then it morphed into what seemed to be fear. Fear of what? The only things around were herself and Fenton by now.

"How did you know which game was the target?" The ghost asked in a rage, fear forgotten for now.

"You're predictable." Fenton replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He glanced back, his eyes meeting hers briefly before he looked back to the ghost. "You get one chance, _leave. Go home, now._" He said, getting louder.

Star caught the double meaning and turned to run, but so did the ghost. When it turned and saw her, it began to laugh and Star stopped in her tracks again.

"I should've known, of course there's a reason you're still here _like that_!" It cackled. "And here I thought we were having a friendly huddle, rookie."

Before Star could even begin to contemplate what the ghost was talking about, it started to charge another attack in its hands and aimed for her. She tried to run again, but the attack hit the ground in front of her and flung her backwards. She hit the ground again, a lot rougher this time.

"Star!" She heard Fenton cry out in shock.

She sat up, vision blurry for a moment and turned towards her classmates voice. She watched in shock as Fenton ran for her, dodging the ghosts blasts without even looking; the kid who was clocked as the slowest in gym crossed half the football field in seconds and jumped at least double his own body height at one point to dodge those blasts.

Star gasped as she felt herself leaving the ground again, this time being supported by two deceptively strong arms.

"Fenton?" She whispered in confusion.

Fenton was carrying her now, going just as fast as before despite the added weight of another person. Just before they could get out of the fenced in field, the fence glowed green and pulled itself shut, growing ten feet in the process. Fenton turned them around to see the ghost floating with its arms pointed outward at them, showing it was his doing.

"Uh, uh, uh. Game's not over yet, rookie. We've got a score to settle." The ghost cried out. All around the ghost, sports balls were formed. Green footballs, basketballs and baseballs floated in a circle around him.

"You act like it was a close game." Fenton muttered under his breath.

Star felt Fenton running more, but closed her eyes to deal with the massive headache she felt forming. She opened her eyes slowly again after she felt shade encompass her and Fenton started to set her down. Despite herself, she gripped his shirt.

"Relax, just for a minute." He said gently, feeling her tightened grip. They were underneath the bleachers now and Fenton was glancing left and right, ready for the ghost to attack again. "Trust me and stay here, I'll be right back." And then he was gone before Star could protest.

Not that she would protest, of course.

"You're really starting to get on my nerves, Fanatic." Fenton's voice sounded agitated again, like it did the first time he ran off to face the ghost alone.

Star tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't properly respond. She could hardly sit straight up, but she tried to peer through the bleachers to see what Fenton would do against their attacker.

"Why don't you do something about it then? Or is one little human enough to bring about your demise?" It mocked, launching all kinds of balls at the teenager.

"Oh please, you couldn't defeat an egg!" Fenton replied, jumping into the air and- and _running up the stream of basketballs and footballs towards the ghost? _

Since when was Fenton that coordinated and agile? Forget that, something like that shouldn't even be physically possible for people in peak physical condition let alone the scrawny kid that got picked last in gym. It just got weirder and weirder because the ghost didn't even look surprised and turned them all around, aiming to hit Fenton from behind.

Star tried to shout a warning, but her voice failed her as she watched what happened next. Fenton pushed off a basketball and turned around mid-air, palming another basketball coming at him and using it to deflect multiple others incoming. He got hit in the chest, but simply gripped the ball for dear life and flipped forward, which seemed to break it from the ghosts spell and threw it for all he was worth at the ghost. Star didn't know why she was surprised anymore when it smacked the ghost in the face _and _Fenton stuck the landing with a roll onto the ground.

"You weren't supposed to be here! You always ruin everything you stupid half-breed!" The ghosts orange eyes glowed fiercely, but Fenton seemed unfazed.

"Shove it, Fanatic. Consider yourself out of the playoffs." Fenton quipped, pointing something silver at the ghost.

Then before her very eyes, Star watched the ghost get sucked into whatever it was Fenton was holding and disappear in a flash of blue light. Then, she heard his voice again.

"Game's over, guys. Come back, meet at mine." He paused. "Star!" She saw him remember her, then dash back towards the bleachers.

He was by her side moments later, helping her stand.

"Are you okay? You didn't get hurt too bad, did you? That was a pretty nasty fall." Fenton asked, looking her over as she tried to regain her balance.

The fog was starting to clear from her mind and she wasn't sure it had anything to do with the ghost's disappearance. She glanced around, seeing certain things return to normal. The fence was returned to its default position and a lot of glowing green balls disappeared, but the field was torn up beyond immediate repair and there was scorch marks all over the place, including Fenton's chest.

"I- I think so." Star managed to answer eventually after realizing he was actually waiting for an answer. "What about you?" She found herself asking, eyes drawn to the scorch mark shaped like a basketball on Fenton's chest.

"Never better-" He paused, glancing down. "I mean, uh- my chest hurts a lot and it hurts to breath, but I think I'll manage. I'm also really tired, too, you should probably get going."

Star's head still hurt a lot, so it wouldn't be until later that she reflected on the obvious lie. But for now, she just nodded and held her head in both hands a moment longer, trying to force herself to think clearly again.

"You are okay, aren't you? Do you want me to walk you home?" Fenton asked her, offering a hand as the other put something in his back jean pocket.

Star didn't know why, but she found herself unable to decline and gave Fenton one of her hands. He smiled at her and she tried to pretend she didn't notice the concern in his eyes.

* * *

Danny Fenton, as it turns out, is a really strange one.

He held her hand the whole way home, but rather than harping on it or attempting to pretend it was romantic he held his arm up, using his own hand to stabilize her the whole twenty minute walk home with no complaints. She was pretty sure she tripped quite a lot and she really expected to fall a lot more, but Fenton was deceptively strong and managed to hold her up every time.

And on top of that, he even asked her to forget everything that had happened! He didn't want her to tell Paulina or Dash or anyone about how he saved her or took care of that ghost, alone no less. In her confused state, she nodded before asking why, a choice she would regret later. It seemed like he wanted to forget tonight ever happened and he seemed borderline eager to leave her on her doorstep without so much as another word.

Anyone else would've milked something like this for all it was worth, which was a lot in Casper High. Fenton could've tried to bargain his way into the A-List, onto the football team, into Paulina's pants- hell most boys would've tried for a kiss or to grab her ass on a moonlit walk home regardless of the circumstances. But all Fenton did the whole walk back was make sure she was okay about twenty times, carry her purse for her and ask her to forget about what happened.

"This is me." Star said, pointing. She let Fenton walk her up the steps and prayed the door wasn't locked. It wasn't, and she opened it quietly.

"You don't need me to, uh," Fenton trailed off, gesturing to her house. She got the hint.

"No, dad says no boys in the house while he's not home." Star replied automatically. She almost went to take it back, but he nodded contently and smiled at her again, letting go of her hand for the first time since the football field.

"Right, good rule. I'll, uh, take off then. If you're sure your okay?" Fenton checked on her one last time, giving her her purse back.

"Yes, good idea." She said, turning to the door.

She heard Fenton step back down the steps without another word or complaint. Before she could stop herself, she called to him.

"Fenton?" She turned, watching how quickly he turned to check on her at her call. "Thanks." And then she stepped inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

Star couldn't think anymore and mindlessly fell onto her couch, ignoring the mental image of Danny Fenton walking away from her house with a bright smile.

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**Tell me what you guys thought or if you want to see more!**


	2. English Class

**Behind Blue Eyes**

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**I don't own Danny Phantom, but man I wish I did.**

**Welcome back! Thanks for the response on the story, keep it up! I love hearing what you guys think. **

**Last time we got Star's viewpoint on a rather strange scenario, so now here's Star's viewpoint on what should be a rather mundane scenario. Read on, readers.**

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**English Class**

The next time Star thinks about Danny Fenton is immediately after she wakes up the next morning, but she pushed him aside until after she popped some Tylenol pills to deal with her possible concussion and got her morning shower.

Only then while drying off did she notice the bruise on her thigh from where the landed so roughly after the ghost blasted at her. It's big, bigger than both her hands and has already started to turn a sickly purple color rather than a soft blue. She poked it, just to be sure, and winced as expected when it hurt.

She would have to be careful if she didn't want anyone seeing it, which she didn't. Her favorite style of jeans would surely irritate it too much, so she went for a long red skirt today that came all the way down to her knees. She threw together the rest of a makeshift outfit and hoped Paulina wouldn't bring up the mismatched clothes, since the blue t-shirt definitely didn't match to her standards with her red skirt or white shoes.

It's not until she got to school that she remembered what she's been trying not to think about, and there he is standing by his locker with his two geek friends just like any other morning. Just like he hadn't fought a ghost less than twenty-four hours ago and won.

It was when Foley let out a snort and shoved Fenton away for something he said, pushing him square in the chest and sending Fenton leaning backwards, that Star decided something was wrong. Fenton showed no signs of injury or even discomfort with the action, even though he had been visibly worse off than she was last night and she had walked away with more to show for it.

Something was going on, and she would get to the bottom of it.

She was Paulina's satellite for a reason; she was the eyes and ears. There was hardly a face in town she didn't recognize, if not know them by first name and she did actually know everybody in the school. Plus, where Paulina only paid attention to gossip pertaining to certain topics and people or the things she herself started, Star was tuned in to it all. She knew what the student body was buzzing about and which little bees were causing a ruckus.

So, rather than doing anything yet she ignored Fenton and his friends, ignored the talk in the halls and the warning bell as she made her way to Spanish, one of the few classes she didn't share with Fenton. Here, she was going to go over all the rumors and gossip she had heard about the Fenton boy over the last few years, which seemed to be when the changes started, and made a decision to watch Fenton a lot closer from now on.

Paulina sat down besides her, talking about how awesome the football game was last night even with the ghost attack. She was under the impression that Phantom had swooped in and saved the day like everyone else and Star couldn't believe how strong the urge was to correct the darker-skinned girl. Alas, she smiled and nodded as class began, pretending like Paulina hadn't totally ditched her last night.

* * *

Casper High seemed to unanimously declare Danny Fenton a very strange ordinary person.

Star tried desperately to organize her thoughts, but writing anything down was too risky; if Paulina caught her writing down stuff about Freaky Fenton, her position on the A-list could be in jeopardy and she wasn't sure she was willing to risk it for the sake of answers yet. So, she had to settle for mentally listing a bunch of second or third-hand gossip she had heard through the years about the odd teenager.

Some people have said that he never makes any noise unless he's talking. No footsteps, no outward breathing, no crack of the ankles as he walked; if you didn't see him walk past you, you never would have known he was there. Even just standing still and talking, there was an air of weightlessness around the boy. For someone so clumsy the school board from handling banned them any fragile equipment until he graduated after breaking literally dozens of bottles and vials in chemistry, he never seemed to miss a step or collide with anything. Chair legs, door corners, computer wires, kids swore up and down that he seemed to just pass right through these minor inconveniences that plagued the rest of the student body. He never seemed to notice they were there, how was it possible for him to continue stepping over them so consistently?

On the other hand, he seemed to be constantly injured. There was hardly ever a time when there wasn't a bruise somewhere, a gash concealed, a favored leg or an excuse about a concussion to a teacher. A lot of people noticed the Band-Aids that almost perfectly blended with his skin, the ripped or punctured clothes or the slight limp he seemed to constantly have.

He missed classes, a lot. But nobody ever really talked about seeing him around the halls very often. There were more kids than Fenton that ditched class, like a lot more, and they actually hung out in the hallways, cafeteria and library while they were skipping and hardly any of them saw Fenton around while classes were being held. In the halls before and after, sure, and during lunch too, but almost never during class. He couldn't really be using the bathroom that much, could he? Especially when a boy with a medical emergency pass for Irritable Bowel Syndrome also frequently spent time in the schools bathrooms and hardly crossed paths with Fenton. Statistically, two kids who went to the bathroom almost five or six times a day in a school with only three working boys bathrooms were bound to cross paths multiple times a week but no, apparently encounters with Fenton in the bathroom happened _maybe _once every two weeks.

And he was a really smart kid, but seemed to be in trouble in all his classes. It wasn't news when someone was doing poorly, but every kid that's worked on an in-class group project with Fenton (and he stayed through the whole thing) swears he's actually really smart and knows the material. So many kids are surprised when the rumor mill starts going on about how many people have overheard the lectures Fenton gets from every one of his teachers.

Then there was gym class. Fenton was always weak and scrawny before, so he's still weak and scrawny now, right? Nope. He didn't look as buff as Dash or anything, but everyone swears that with his physique, he should be doing a lot better in gym class than he is. He's always in last place when they run the mile, but he never seemed winded or tired. And he never took off his shirt no matter how hot it got or what activity they did; Fenton refused to be seen shirtless or even wear tank-tops. He went to great lengths, too, always the last one out of the locker room and he never went back in until everyone else was gone.

Speaking of clothes, his didn't change at all. Like really, almost never. Most of their class had changed something about the way they dressed; it was only natural, they were still finding their own styles. Star herself found that she didn't always like her hair down like Paulina did and that a ponytail looked great too. Even Manson and Foley had changed their looks somewhat; not drastically or anything, but they looked more comfortable than they used to. But even if he found his style first, Fenton never dressed for the weather or the occasion.

Sports days? T-shirt and jeans. Presentation days? T-shirt and jeans. Sweltering heat? T-shirt and jeans. Freezing cold? T-shirt and jeans.

People thought there could be a hurricane outside and Fenton would come strolling through the doors of Casper High, unaffected by the winds, rain and cold without so much as an umbrella to aid him. How had Fenton made something as ordinary as a t-shirt and jeans something to become suspicious about?

"Star? Star! Come on, class is over." Paulina's voice and nudging broke Star from her deep thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, right, sorry. That class was just so boring, I totally spaced." Star apologized quickly to her friend, shoving some books into her bag and standing to meet Paulina's height.

"I totally get it, Ms. Turner is so out of touch. Come on, let's go." Paulina concluded, turning on her new heels to leave.

Star followed.

* * *

The rest of the day Star's thoughts were still consumed by Danny Fenton. She went from reflecting on him to watching him as subtly as she could throughout the rest of the day. Easy enough, they shared most of their classes together.

Fenton showed up late to only the second class of the day, math, and it was well after Mr. Falluca took attendance. He was almost twenty minutes late to the class, so nobody was surprised when Falluca scolded the teen.

"Someone ought to teach you about responsibilities, Mr. Fenton. This behavior will not continue to be excused. Detention, today after school." Falluca reprimanded and the class, minus Star, burst into snickers.

"Yes sir." Fenton mumbled his reply and began to walk to his seat.

Star didn't understand at all. Before, Fenton would argue or attempt to explain himself to the teachers as they began to dole out punishments. She wasn't sure when that bit had stopped, but everyone used to enjoy watching Fenton flounder around trying to squirm out of detentions, parent-teacher meetings or any other punishments he was subjected to. But try as she might, she wasn't sure when the troubled teen had started quietly accepting any punishment placed on his shoulders.

There was a flicker of something in his eyes as he said it, but she wasn't sure what it could be. Anger? Guilt? Acceptance? All three? It was like he had given up trying to explain himself, like he realized it was easier to take the punishments and move on. That was kind of sad, in Star's opinion.

She watched him closely as he moved to his seat.

Fenton moved slowly. Very slowly. His steps were light as always, no audible footsteps were heard, but he seemed to be favoring his right leg; it always traveled almost double the distance of his left and every time his left foot touched the ground he leaned right. His right hand gripped the strip of his backpack, slightly picking up the shirt underneath so it wasn't touching his skin. His fingers clenched every time he stepped forward and scrapped against his chest, like he was in pain. The other hand was concealed in his pocket, but his left thigh looked like he spilled soda on his lap due to the darker colored stain on them the size of his hand. When he passed by her to get to his desk, not looking her in the eye, she noticed that it wrapped around to the back of his leg. His whole thigh seemed to be covered in palm-sized splotches of ink or soda or something.

He made his way to the back of the classroom as he usually did, out of the way and the best spot for classroom naps, a whole three rows behind Star, who sat in the second row. It wasn't until she glanced back at him again while he huffed loudly sitting down that she noticed small punctures on his face. One on his neck, one underneath his cheekbone and another above his temple. He turned his head slightly, as if checking the room and Star saw matching marks on the other side. She nearly gasped, but before she could complete her noise Fenton's head swiveled towards her as if he heard the nearly inaudible sound.

Her turquoise eyes locked with his bright blue ones and just for a second, Star felt like that was the safest place in the world. Then he smiled a crooked smile at her, as if silently thanking her for keeping her mouth shut, and slumping over in his desk. Star turned away immediately after, feeling her cheeks heating up.

For the first time that year, Star was glad none of her friends were in her math class.

* * *

Star wondered for the rest of the day about how Fenton could've gotten injured. She saw him in the hall before first period and he looked impossibly fine considering last night's events, but somewhere between first and second period that changed.

But, even stranger still was that the next time Star saw him in fourth period he looked just as he had that morning.

He haphazardly walked into class, on time, and only seconds after most of their class had gotten themselves seated. His backpack was slung lazily over his right shoulder, the same one he winced when his shirt brushed nearly two hours ago, and he was no longer limping but his jeans were still discolored on his left leg.

"Heads up Fentoenail!" Dash announced before blowing a spitball at Fenton's forehead.

The class laughed over the teachers' cry of 'Mr. Baxter!' but Star noticed something even through the wince she tried to fight. Fenton's right hand jolted, as if he was attempting to catch the spitball, but dropped even faster than it rose back to his side. Star was dead sure that with that speed, he could've deflected if not caught the projectile.

So why did he let it hit him in the face instead? How long had things like that been happening while nobody noticed? Star was willing to guess too long.

Fenton didn't pay Dash any mind after that and headed to his seat in the back of the room once again, pointedly shrugging his shoulders at something Manson and Foley were saying to him. It seemed like they either got what they wanted or gave up because as Fenton sat down, both his geek friends simply turned to face forward again, the conversation dropped.

Whatever was going on with Fenton, Manson and Foley were involved somehow too. She was sure of it.

* * *

It felt wrong, but Star desperately wished Fenton would rush off somewhere as he usually did.

They were in their last period of the day, English, and she had shared every period with him since fourth. For some reason, Star found herself unable to properly concentrate on her own thoughts regarding the boy, let alone whatever Lancer and their other teachers were droning on about, while she had the chance to observe him directly instead.

It wasn't nearly as mentally stimulating as thinking directly about all the strange things that seemed to float around Danny Fenton, and she certainly felt like thinking would be a more productive use of time that staring. Even so, she could hardly bring herself to stop glancing in his direction almost constantly. There were quite a few times Paulina asked who she was checking out, claiming to have had a 'dreamy look in her eye', and she had to pretend she was daydreaming about Kwan but those moments weren't nearly as heart stopping as the times Fenton almost caught her looking.

She found out he did that a lot, actually. For someone who was so tired all the time (his eyes had enough bags to go to London for a month) that he looked like he could collapse into a deep sleep at a moments notice, Fenton was very on-edge. Like, constantly. His eyes, while they weren't closed trying to nap, did nothing but jolt around the room dozens of times as if honing in on every individual noise. And sudden noises? They had his attention instantly, so thoroughly it seemed like he was ready to spring out of his chair if someone started using the electric pencil sharpener without announcing it first.

But beyond that, he seemed to be aware of every zip of a backpack, click of a pen and bump of a knee that was going on in the room. It was like he was constantly operating on nothing but a cup of coffee and a fight or flight response.

Barely five minutes into English, just as Star was turning her eyes away from Fenton again she heard a soft gasp. She quickly glanced back again, noticing Fenton was sitting straight as a board with his hand raised, a far cry from the seemingly passed out position she saw him last in the split second her eyes were off him.

"Yes, Mr. Fenton?" Lancer asked patiently, even if everyone in the room knew what was about to happen.

"Can I use the bathroom?" Fenton asked, glancing around the room again. She swore he lingered on her, longer but his eyes went back to Lancer too quick to be sure.

"I suppose. Be quick about it this time, would you?" Lancer chided, but Fenton was out of the room before he finished talking.

Star watched him go, the boy almost breaking into a dead sprint out of the room as the door slammed shut behind him. It caused her to blink in shock at the loud noise, but she swore there was a flash of light while her eyes were closed. She looked back at Manson and Foley, who seemed unable to stop making eye contact and glancing out the window like they would miss something.

Apparently, Star couldn't think much while Fenton wasn't in the room either. All she felt like she did while he was gone was go between glancing back at his empty seat, the clock and the door in the same pattern. Like if she followed it, it would make Fenton return sooner.

Why did she even care where he was? She wanted her questions answered, that didn't mean she could afford to suddenly start caring about someone who could get her whole social life uprooted. Besides, it's not like they were ever friends before there was an A-list anyways. Why should she care what freaky Fenton did in his free time?

She knew the answer, of course, was that it was because Fenton had made her start looking at things differently. She wasn't sure she could have done any of what Fenton did to save her best friends, let alone someone who hated her the way she hated him. Well, she didn't hate him. Just judged him.

Her thoughts on her exact feelings for Danny Fenton were interrupted by the boy of the hour coming through the door and leaning backwards on it to fully close it.

"Tell me, Mr. Fenton, is twenty-five minutes quick to you?" Lancer asked, hardly glancing over at the returning student.

Most of the class snickered and nobody seemed to pay any mind to his return. Nobody except Star who could not take her eyes off the condition that Fenton was in.

His shirt had holes in it, literal holes that were the size of her index fingers scattered everywhere. She could see red on some of them better than others, which made her think they were bites of some kind. His pants looked like they had been burned, the bottom right pant leg being charred black along with his normally white and red shoe turning an ash grey and maroon-like color. There looked like two gashes by his hip, just above his pocket, which was limply hanging down at his side rather than being sewn on to his thigh.

His face didn't escape unharmed either. The whole left cheek was covered in a black and blue and two the little puncture marks across his shirt were on his neck. If she didn't know any better, she would say a vampire just bit him.

"Won't happen again, Mr. Lancer." Fenton promised. His voice was a bit strained, like he knew he was lying, and he went to walk to his seat.

The minute he moved, Star noticed his arms that were previously hidden behind his back as he leaned against the door. They were both covered in gashes and scratches and cuts from his hands all the way up to his sleeves. There was dozens of them, going in every direction.

She must have made another noise because his eyes found hers again and she glanced down as quickly as she could, not wanting to be caught staring. She couldn't hold out for long though and glanced up again just in time to see him stuff his hands into his pockets so deep only half of his forearms were visible anymore as he walked back to his seat, noticed by nobody else.

She watched Manson and Foley talk to him again, but she couldn't hear anything over the sound of Lancer's voice and she was awful at lip-reading. They talked longer this time, but the conversation still ended with Fenton slamming his head onto his desk and his friends exchanging a glance.

Star contemplated what could have happened to Fenton for the remaining fifteen minutes of English class but could think of nothing to answer any of her questions with. She contemplated so hard, actually, that she had a repeat of first period and Paulina had to shake her out of her thoughts.

"What's with you today? You're acting like Dash when I wear a bathing suit." Paulina asked, nudging her shoulder.

Star only shrugged, going to stand when she noticed Fenton and his friends leaving in front of them. They were usually the last ones out the door, she must have spaced out really bad.

"Yeah sorry, I've just- been thinking a lot today." Star replied as convincing as she could.

She was avoiding eye contact with Paulina, hoping she didn't ask what, when her eyes ever so slightly were caught by a brilliant shade of blue. As quick as before, Fenton looked away and she found herself staring. It was then that she noticed something really, really odd even for Fenton.

He didn't have any cuts on his arms.

* * *

**Again, tell me what you thought or want to see more! I'm open to answering any questions too, if they pertain to the story!**


	3. The Talk

**Behind Blue Eyes**

* * *

**I don't own Danny Phantom, but man I wish I did.**

**Welcome back again! Keep on telling me what you guys think with this chapter! Sorry it's shorter than the last two, but I couldn't resist this ending. Next chapter will be longer to make up for it, promise! Anyway, read on, readers.**

* * *

**The Talk**

Star stopped by her locker on the way out, wanting to empty her backpack out before the long walk home. She was so consumed by her thoughts all day that she never even opened it to exchange books, which explained the rather heavy math book she was still carrying around.

She opened her locker, careful not to hit Paulina who was standing in front of her locker, and stilled. Sitting in her locker was her light blue star-shaped hair clip. When had that gotten there? How had that gotten there? There was no way she would have left this here, let alone had the time.

The only time it could have fallen out was at last night's game and the only person who could have found it was… Danny Fenton.

"Hurry up Star, we've got to leave now if we want our table at the Nasty Burger. Dash and Kwan are waiting for us." Paulina reminded her.

Star slightly shut her locker so she could look Paulina in the face and put on her most convincing apologetic voice.

"I can't go today, my dad's making me pick up my stupid brother from school. I'll meet you there if I can." Star excused herself from the event and as expected, Paulina huffed.

"Fine, we'll go over now. Catch up with us later, okay?" Paulina replied before walking off.

Star glanced at her retreating form and watched as she left through the front of the building surrounded by the members of the A-list. Then, she looked back at her locker and began to wonder just _how _Fenton had even noticed her hair clip on the ground, let alone had time to pick it up and not even mentioning how he got it into her locker.

That must be why he was looking at her all day, she realized. He was probably trying to gauge if she knew it was him who had returned her hair clip. She picked it up and slammed her locker shut, coming to a sudden decision as she raced out of Casper High.

* * *

It didn't take long to locate her target. Fenton was walking home as usual, flanked on both sides by Manson and Foley. They didn't seem to be acting any different than usual, despite what Star witnessed earlier.

Foley was typing away on his PDA, mumbling something she couldn't hear even as she approached and Manson was not so discretely poking Fenton in all the holes on his shirt, as if trying to get a reaction while Fenton did most of the talking. She could hear him more than Foley, he was talking louder, but she still couldn't hear more than a few scattered words at her distance.

'Lead', 'ambush' and 'tattoos' were the only words she could clearly make out and they did nothing to sooth her curiosity. Before she could loose her nerve, she shouted to get Fenton's attention.

"Hey Fenton, got a minute?" Star called, hoping they were far enough away from school that nobody else really heard her.

All three of them turned in unison, seemingly equally shocked by the shout. Upon seeing whom it was that had gotten their attention, Manson glared, Foley winced and Fenton seemed to freeze for just a second before smiling and nodding at her.

"Go ahead, I'll meet you guys at Sam's." Fenton told his friends. They both seemed reluctant to leave him with her, but he prompted again. "Oh come on, I've been alone with worse. It'll be fine."

"Be careful Danny, don't turn your back to it." Manson muttered before she turned away. Foley glanced between her, Fenton and Manson.

"Later, dude." Foley said, turning to follow Manson away.

Star approached the now alone boy as his friends walked further away, looking him up and down to confirm her own suspicions. He looked completely fine, just as he had that morning. Impossibly fine for the condition she had seen him in throughout the day.

"Sorry about them, well, mostly Sam- she doesn't like you guys very much." Fenton apologized on her behalf, but Star only shrugged. Manson's attitude was the least of her worries and factored in none to her questions.

She was a bit caught off guard by the apology, but she tried not to let it show as she accepted it.

"It's okay, I don't know what I expected when I pulled you away." She replied. She paused, trying to gather her thoughts on where to go next. There were so many things she wanted to ask about- the hair clip, the spitball, the bruises and cuts, she couldn't decide.

Luckily, Fenton did for her.

"How's your hip?" He asked. She guessed she did a bad job at hiding the surprised expression she made, because he seemed to think she was angry. "I didn't mean to stare or anything, I just wanted to make sure you were okay after last night, that was a really strong blast and a hard fall. I noticed you weren't wearing your favorite jeans and you sat in right handed desks all day, even though your left handed so I just figured-" Fenton took a breath. "I'll let you do the talking now."

"There's a nasty bruise on my thigh, but I think it should go away in a couple days. It doesn't hurt as much as it did this morning." Star told him automatically, not sure what to say at the unexpected question. "My turn, how did this get in my locker?" She asked, holding out the star-shaped hair clip.

Fenton tried to look away as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I dropped my keys at the football field last night, didn't realize until I got all the way home. When I was there I found that, I- uh, I figured there was only one person it could belong too." Fenton explained nervously.

"But how did you get it _into_ my locker?" Star pressed further.

She felt like she was watching a movie as the emotions and reactions flickered through Fenton's blue eyes.

"Sorry if I invaded your privacy, I didn't mean anything by it and I just thought it would be easier to give it to you that way so you didn't have to be seen talking to me during school. I know what talking to my friends and I can do to social status around here." He chuckled awkwardly, and Star almost didn't realize what he was doing.

"Stop not answering the question." She told him pointedly.

He didn't deny it and barely winced at the accusation. Instead, he just sighed and then there was something different about him.

"If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell you." Fenton told her. She nodded without hesitation. "If you try hard enough, you can get into anyone's locker. They've been replaced and fixed a million times in the past few years, the school started to make cheaper and cheaper repairs. If you're persistent enough, there's not a locker in the school you can't shimmy open. I don't like to do it, but it comes in handy to know."

Star nodded pretty much right away. It made enough sense to her, and she figured there had to be some way that Fenton had been escaping the inside of lockers Dash shoved him in.

"I was actually hoping you just thought you forgot it there in the first place, but I'm not surprised you knew. Sorry again I went into your locker." Fenton continued.

Star could only nod once more; almost dumbfounded by the revelation that Fenton hadn't even wanted her to know it was him who returned her clip. But she could think later, now was the time to ask questions.

"And another thing," She started quickly. She didn't want to tell him yet that she didn't care that he had broken into her locker in case he was only still here out of guilt. "About last night, how-"

"I told you, you should really forget about the whole thing." Fenton cut her off abruptly, sounding just like he had last night when he was talking to the ghost.

"You're the one who brought it up first earlier. Besides, I promised not to tell anyone, not to forget about it." Star replied back.

Fenton seemed catch the underlying meaning of her words. _You talk, or I tell. _After only a brief pause, he sighed and ran a hand through his messy black hair and looked at her expectantly. Clearly, he wasn't going to make this easy.

"What happened today? To your shirt and arms?" Star started with what she thought would be the hardest questions for him to lie about.

"Nothing happened, the faucet in the bathroom went crazy and soaked me. I changed my shirt, I keep spares everywhere because I'm so clumsy but I forgot that's the shirt I used when Tuck and I wanted to play a prank on my sister. Looked like bullet holes and blood, right?" Fenton replied with a chuckle at the memory.

"And last night? How did you do all that stuff? That ghost knew you and you kept talking back to it." Star continued.

She watched Fenton very carefully and he responded eerily easily, like he had practiced for these questions.

"My parents hunt ghosts for a living, Star. You really think they didn't make sure Jazz and I could take care of ourselves if we were attacked by a ghost?" Fenton replied.

"Why don't you do it more often then?" Star pressed and Fenton scoffed in reply.

"There are people out there for that already, they don't need me out there making things worse. My parents, the Red Huntress, Phantom- they can handle the ghosts fine without me. I can't do anything they aren't already doing." He said, crossing his arms. "Besides, I want nothing to do with ghost hunting."

Star supposed that made sense. Fenton was always one of the first off the scene of any ghost attack, but just because he was scared of ghosts didn't mean he couldn't face them once in a while. It didn't take long for Star to draw a connection.

"You only did that because I was there. You would've run away." She wasn't sure if she was asking or not.

"Well, yeah. Wouldn't you?" But that was not the answer she was expecting.

She wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that or what he was trying to get at, but her words died in her throat when she saw Fenton visibly shiver and gasp again. It was nowhere near cold enough for his breath to be visible, what was that about?

"Star, run." Fenton turned around and stepped sideways so he was in front of her.

Star hesitated for only a moment but grabbed Fenton's wrist and began pulling him in the direction of the school, ignoring his surprised yelp. He ran along with her, trying to keep his balance.

"What are you doing?!" He cried out in shock. Star vaguely registered him trying to slip from her grip, but it felt like more of an obligation than desire to be free.

She didn't answer and chose to run instead, sprinting the few yards back to Casper High and bursting through the front doors. Fenton yelped a few more times, but seemed resigned to be pulled along until a familiar voice startled them to a quick halt.

"Ms. Anderson, I hope you're not the reason Mr. Fenton is late to detention?" Mr. Falluca's voice came from the left.

They turned to be face-to-face with their math teacher, who had his hands on his hips. Star stammered, but Fenton stepped in front of her again and did the talking.

"Actually, I totally forgot I had detention today. Star was just trying to remind me before I left." Fenton lied effortlessly to Falluca.

Falluca seemed to buy it, but Fenton shivered again and she heard him whisper something under his breath.

"Uh- Mr. Falluca, I gotta-" Fenton started motioning with his hands but was cut off by the screams of the other detention attendees as the temperature dropped suddenly.

A group of kids poured from the room Falluca was standing in front of, all screaming about a ghost inside. Falluca took off too, following the students and Star turned to see what Fenton's reaction would be and was surprised to not see him at her side. She swiveled her head around just in time to see the door to the classroom slam shut and she couldn't help but run up to it and peer through the glass opening to see inside.

There, her thoughts were confirmed; Danny Fenton was once again staring down a ghost.

It was another new ghost, she realized quickly. This must be some kind of record with two new ghosts appearing two days in a row. This one also had green skin and red eyes, but looked more artsy than the one from last night. It had on a black artists smock over a dark green long sleeved shirt with rolled up sleeves and ugly brown slacks. A brown beret sat lopsided on its head, hiding large parts of its messy orange hair as if trying to compliment the orange '35' smeared across the smock in paint.

Star watched as Fenton ran forward and slid underneath the ghost, dodging what looked like a lot of very sharp paintbrushes. Instead of attacking, he ran to the back corner and bent down and only then did the blonde girl realize what happened; Brittney Hall had cowered under her desk instead of running to safety.

Fenton picked her up bridal style just as he had done to her the night before and jumped up onto a desk. The ghost turned and charged, trying to tackle the boy but Fenton leapt into the air and pushed off the ghosts back, sending it slamming into a bookshelf in the back of the room and the blue eyed boy ran straight for the door.

Star decided to be of some help and opened the door for him. Fenton recovered from his shock fairly quickly and tried to run through the door, but was struck in the side of the head with a flat shaped disc that vaguely resembled a paint palette. Fenton stumbled but remained standing and set Brittney on her feet, pushing her over to Star quickly as he caught something glowing in his hands and it exploded in his face, throwing him backwards.

Star reached out and grabbed Brittney's hand and pulled her through the door-frame just as another attack went where she had been standing. Fenton rolled forward, coming into her view as he threw what looked like the ghosts own glowing equipment back at it. He stood and glanced over to them, Star's eyes glued to his while Brittney's were squeezed shut as she clutched Star's hand.

"Go, now!" Fenton cried before turning to face the ghost again.

Star watched as he was hit in the chest with an ectoblast and flung backwards just before the door shut violently again. Star lunged to try and open it, but it wouldn't budge. She heard things breaking inside, both metal and wooden, and a whole lot of slamming around. The ghost and Fenton wrestled across the room, floating and on the ground.

Fenton ducked under a desk to avoid more paintbrushes and then kicked the desk out, knocking the ghost over briefly before it charged again and tackled Fenton out of her line of sight. There was a few more noises of clashing and slamming but then, everything came to a stop and not a peep could be heard from inside. Only then did the door gently open.

Brittney, who had just opened her eyes for the first time since Star saw her, was shaking when Star turned around to face her.

"Are you okay?" Star asked, unsure of what to do next.

"I think so." Brittney said, trying to smile. "Thank god for Danny Phantom, right?"

* * *

**Told you the ending was perfect! I know, I'm evil. See you all next time!**


	4. Kind

**Behind Blue Eyes**

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**I don't own Danny Phantom, but man I wish I did.**

**Thanks for being patient with the shorter chapter last time, so I hope this one makes up for it! It's the longest one so far and also my personal favorite so I hope you guys enjoy it! Read on, readers.**

* * *

**Kind**

Star knew what Danny Fenton was, and it wasn't nice.

No, Danny Fenton was _too _nice to be nice. Nice was being polite, being civil. Nice seemed easy, the thing that society said was the way people should act or be treated. Niceness was only caring about yourself and the way people saw you, the way people thought of you. Being nice was a show, a way to appease others. It hardly meant anything because nobody _meant _it.

Nice, Star was beginning to understand, was surface level.

Teachers were nice, cashiers were nice, most of the students were nice, her mother was nice. That was all good; she much preferred them being nice than mean or nasty and most of them probably cared about whether she was safe or not. But what did they _feel_?

The key thing that moved a person beyond nice wasn't what they said or did. It was what they felt.

Nice people acted nice to give themselves peace of mind. To ensure they were liked and had allies because they didn't want to risk a confrontation. If you weren't nice, you were usually mean and mean gave you enemies.

But he had found another option like so few others did and walked a different path. The more Star thought about it, the clearer it became. She had been a fool not to notice before; despite all the instances she was shown the truth. Nice wasn't a good enough word to describe him, it almost tainted what he truly was.

Danny Fenton was kind.

Kind was what Star was starting to realize people thought nice meant. Kindness, unlike niceness, came from a deeper place. If people were nice because they cared about themselves, people were kind because they cared about others. And care about others he did.

In the last few hours, the classmate she once mocked and ridiculed had shown her more kindness than anyone she dared to call her friends. He stayed at the first ghost attack for her, put himself in harms way, went out of his way to make sure she was okay and expected nothing in return. There was nothing in it for him to do anything that night.

He didn't have to stay, offering himself up as a distraction for her to escape unharmed. But he did, because he cared.

He didn't have to check on her after she fell, going out of his way to cross the field despite the rising danger and make sure she was okay. But he did, because he cared.

He didn't have to fight the ghost. He could've just hid and kept them safe until Phantom showed up and stopped the ghost himself. But he did, because he cared.

He cared so much, Star realized, that he gave up the rest of his evening for her despite everything she had a part in putting him through. He stayed with her when her best friend ran away. He walked her home when he could've left and met up with Manson and Foley. He gave her favorite hair-clip back when even she had totally forgotten all about it by the next day. He went out of his way to return it to her in a way he thought she would prefer.

He didn't care how much longer it would take to leave her hair-clip in her locker. He didn't care how it would've looked for him if someone had seen him trying to break into it. He didn't care that it would've made his life easier to not even think about returning it; to anyone else it was just a dumb hair-clip.

Star borderline didn't understand how someone could even be capable of the level of thoughtfulness and kindness expressed over and over again by Danny Fenton.

"_Star? What are you still doing here?"_ Had been the first thing out of his mouth last night when he had approached her under the bleachers. From that moment, his entire focus seemed to shift from 'get away' to 'get Star away'.

He showed nearly no regard for his own safety as early as when he tackled her out of the way of the first blast, going out of his way to shield her and cushion her fall rather than just avoiding it himself. She knew most of her friends or classmates wouldn't have thought twice of shouting something like 'Duck!' and taking cover themselves. But not only that, then he offered himself up on a platter for the ghost in an effort for her to escape undetected. Granted he was apparently more capable than he seemed, but being human alone put him at a serious disadvantage.

He held her with a surprising gentleness; careful not to touch the hip she landed roughly on even if it would've been easier for him. He didn't mock her or drop her when she almost refused to let go of him like she would've expected before last night, instead he offered reassurance that he wasn't abandoning her still even though she was now injured.

He walked her home with no hesitation. It didn't seem to matter to him that he just told someone he'd meet them at his house. He didn't care that the walk turned out to be longer than he expected or that it was definitely way out of the way of where he lived. He paid no mind to the fact that yesterday, she was one of the ones snickering as Dash bumped into him in the halls.

Even earlier talking outside of Casper High, he instructed her to run first before he even seemed to think about running with her. Twice in less than twenty-four hours, he had been ready go risk serious injury if it meant that she could escape unharmed. Then again in the hall, he had rushed into the classroom even as a dozen kids fled because he noticed _one _student of the bunch had cornered herself and done the same thing; his priority was Brittney Hall leaving that room and he was more than willing to hand her over to Star while he sacrificed his body, his _escape_, to ensure hers.

Before the last night, Star wouldn't have looked twice at Danny Fenton unless it was to insult him or watch Dash push him around. Now, she couldn't seem to look away. Metaphorically, of course, as she hadn't seen him since he disappeared from the classroom wrestling with that painter ghost. But even still, the blue-eyed boy consumed her thoughts.

Yes, Danny Fenton was a very kind person.

But that didn't make him a superhero, did it?

Brittney's words stuck in her head, echoing like an eerie realization. _"Thank god for Danny Phantom, right?" _Brittney had said right away after she decided she was safe. She had immediately assumed that Phantom had been the one to rescue her from her predicament and Star supposed it made sense; hardly anyone else around town seemed to do as much as Phantom for the citizens especially when ghosts were concerned.

Phantom was kind too, a real superhero if she ever saw one.

He fought seemingly all the time, all hours of the day and night against evil ghosts that wanted nothing but to destroy their home and never asked for anything in return. He put up with a lot; most people in town didn't even like him until the Pariah Dark incident and there were still people to this day that despised him. The Fenton's still couldn't stand him and were often seen chasing him across town, there was those guys in white that kept interfering with ghost fights and above all the Red Huntress was hated by nearly all of Casper High because of she seemed to be on the hunt for Phantom.

Surely, kind was the only other thing besides a first name that Danny Fenton had in common with Danny Phantom.

But then, the more Star thought and remembered the more confused she became. She never would've looked twice at any of the connections if the line hadn't been drawn for her, but boy were there a lot.

Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were two of only three Danny's she knew in town, and she knew _most _of the town. They looked unbelievably similar, almost like a palette swap of each other. Danny Fenton's messy, midnight black hair held the same style and length as Phantom's and they had the same deceptive build. Both were lean and slim, both hiding surprising strength behind their appearance.

Being a ghost would explain a lot of the mystery regarding Danny Fenton, too. He doesn't make noise because he walks like he's floating on air, he doesn't trip because he phases through things, he's never tired in gym class because he can do so much more than an average human before starting to feel winded and he carried her like she weighed nothing because he saved buses of children in his free time.

There was one thing she remembered now that she felt foolish for forgetting, for not seeing this herself.

Paulina had finally caught up to Phantom one day before he could disappear after one of his fights with that metal ghost. They had asked him tons of questions, a lot more than she could even begin to remember, but one of the things Paulina asked was if he protected the town for money or for fame and Phantom looked almost repulsed.

* * *

"_Neither, I don't need money and I don't care for the attention very much." Phantom told them, nervously scratching at his neck. _

"_Then, like, what's in it for you?" Paulina asked. Star could tell she'd never be able to do something like that without benefiting somehow, but Phantom shrugged._

"_Nothing really, but if I don't stop the ghosts, who will?" He replied._

"_So you fight ghosts all day to keep a town full of people you don't even know safe just because you can?" Star asked him and he smiled at her._

_It was a small smile and at the time, she missed that it didn't quite reach his eyes._

"_Well, yeah. Wouldn't you?" Phantom shrugged. _

_Both girls were left speechless and before they could catch their breath, Phantom flickered away even as Paulina wailed for her beloved to come back._

* * *

Star couldn't believe nobody else knew about this, but it was a lot easier to miss the road signs to a place you didn't know existed. But the more she thought about it, the more she wished she didn't know.

She didn't want to think about Danny Fenton leaving class every day to go get beat up by ghosts across town and come back to getting lectures about responsibility. What must it feel like to be talked down to like that? How many people have told him things that couldn't possibly be any more _wrong _and he could do nothing but nod along?

She didn't want to think about Danny Fenton getting shoved into lockers, insulted and ignored by the same people he put his life on the line to protect and save every day. What if one day he decided he had enough? Would he ever not save someone because of the way he was treated? She wasn't sure she could blame him knowing the way things usually went.

She didn't want to think about Danny Fenton, alone and scared after some of the absolutely brutal fights she had seen the ghostly protector involved in. All cut, bruised and banged up just waiting for the next ghost to come along and start the cycle all over again. Did he have anyone? Anyone at all that knew how bad things really got?

She didn't want to think about Danny Fenton living every day with the fear of being hated for being something he couldn't control. She didn't want to think about Danny Fenton going home to a house he didn't feel safe in, where he felt like he wasn't welcome or loved. She didn't want to think about Danny Fenton being scared to tell his parents the truth in case they _still followed through with their threats._

And the really, really didn't even want to start to think about what this meant for Danny Fenton. Was he dead? Alive? Something in between? Was he really dead or did he just sometimes look like a ghost? How had it happened? _When _had it happened?

If it had always been this way, his parents would surely know, right? But there was no way they knew, not with the way they went after the ghost boy. The thought of anyone, especially someone as kind as she now understood Danny Fenton to be, being scared like he must be of his own parents disturbed her. The two people in the world who were supposed to care about you no matter what, be there for you no matter what, do anything for you no matter what and always be in your corner and he was probably downright _terrified _of telling them even a little of the truth.

He couldn't tell them the truth about missing school or why he was doing poorly despite being rather smart. He couldn't tell them about the many sleepless nights or missed curfews he was bound to have, she knew there was no hour of the day that Phantom hadn't been seen fighting ghosts in the past. He couldn't tell them about the injuries that were no doubt received, always trying to be brushed aside. Even something as simple as 'where are you going?' couldn't always be answered directly or truthfully and for the first time Star really realized how alone Danny Fenton must feel.

Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson must be the only two people in the world he felt like loved and understood him. They were in on his secret; they had to be. The three of them were too close for them not to be and if anything, it was driving the closeness. It was the three of them against the world. Both worlds.

Finally, Star came down with a crippling sense of anxiety as she realized that the only one stopping their town from being overrun with ghosts, torn apart to pieces and rendered unlivable was an exhausted, lonely and scared sixteen year old kid carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

For the first time in years, Star cried.

* * *

She didn't know what to do with this information. She wasn't going to tell anyone; she owed Fenton- Danny, she owed _Danny _too much for that. But she couldn't just do not do something now that she knew. She couldn't go back to the way things were last week.

How was she supposed to mock Danny in the hallways knowing that he was putting his life in danger every minute so she could go home safely? How was she supposed to just stand and watch as Dash wailed on him knowing he was probably hitting already sore and broken bones? How was she supposed to call him a freak like Paulina expected her to knowing that 'freak' was probably exactly the way he thought of himself?

She couldn't _not _do those things either, that was what was expected of her in the A-list. They were all she had and Paulina could make sure she lost everything the same way Valerie had. Valerie, one of the only people she truly though of as a friend, was shunned from Paulina's posse because she could no loner afford the life they lived. The consequences for ditching the A-list or starting to befriend anyone outside their group, let alone someone as low on their totem pole as Danny freaking Fenton, would be a lot worse.

She wasn't as strong as Danny; he went to school every day and restrained himself from telling the truth, from harming anyone, from everything. He kept his head down and did what was expected because that's what made everyone else's life easier, and that's all he cared about.

He didn't care how many punches he took from Dash as long as Dash wasn't punching Mikey or Lester or Nathan. He could handle it.

He didn't care how many detentions, zeros or lectures he took from teachers as long as they weren't asking questions. He could handle it.

He didn't care how many times his parents had surely grounded him as long as they didn't know what he was doing. He could handle it.

As long as everyone was safe, he could handle it. But Star understood now that safe doesn't always mean safe. She knew now; she _knew. _That made her dangerous and it put her in danger. She really wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she had to figure it out fast because sitting on this would kill her.

She had to tell him she knew. That was the only conclusion she had come to. She would tell him she knew, go from there, and do whatever he thought was best. If he wanted her help, she would help. If he wanted her to forget, she would pretend like nothing changed.

That was assuming she could find him, get him away from his friends again and not have him totally freak out on her. He probably thought she hated him, what reason would he have to trust her with something as big as this. She was practically holding his life in her hands.

* * *

It's not until the next day when she decided that something was wrong.

Danny Fenton wasn't in school today yet and it was already fourth period. She hadn't seen him in the halls, hadn't heard from Dash that he was in a locker somewhere and he had been totally absent during both of their classes so far. It was strange; Phantom was last seen fighting the painter ghost yesterday minutes after it and Danny wrestled out of their classroom setting. It was almost unheard of for the last Phantom sighting of the day to occur as early at four o'clock in the afternoon, that was when they started picking up.

She would have to start with his friends after all, so she decided talking to them both at the same time would be best regardless of the risks to her reputation. So, between fourth and fifth period she pinpointed them in the hallway and started walking over, stopping halfway there as she realized where they were.

Manson and Foley were standing by Danny Fenton's locker, flicking their gazes from each other to each side of the hallway. Star realized with a sense of dread they were waiting for him to show up too. She wanted to turn, unwilling to make things worse, but Manson spotted her too quickly. They locked eyes and the Goth elbowed Foley, who turned excitedly as if expecting his missing friend.

"Oh," He said disappointed when he noticed her approaching. "I knew you'd change your mind about that date eventually."

"Is Danny Phantom?" Star pointedly ignored him, whispering her question instead.

"Is Danny Phantom what? Handsome? Brave? Single? Yes, yes and yes." Foley responded even as Manson rolled her eyes.

"We have no idea what you're talking about and even if we did, we wouldn't tell you." Manson replied, crossing her arms. "I don't know what you know or what you think you know, but you're wrong. Come on Tuck, he's not coming."

They started to turn away and head towards class, neither looking back at her until she decided she wasn't ready to give up yet.

"I'm worried about him too." Star blurted out. They both stopped in their tracks, turning slowly as she continued. "I haven't seen him either, not since yesterday."

"When exactly was the last time you saw him?" Foley asked her. She couldn't help but be surprised by the tone he had, almost accusatory.

"I didn't do anything to him and I don't know where he's at if that's what you're asking." Star reiterated. "I wanted to talk about the football game when he fought that sports ghost, I had questions. But then another ghost attacked us. He told me to run, but I panicked and dragged us both back here. It followed us, attacked a classroom and he went in to save a girl, Brittney. The door shut and locked after I pulled her out, I saw them fighting but they disappeared after a few minutes and I didn't see where. I haven't seen either of them since."

Manson and Foley stayed silent for a good while, exchanging glances with each other as they looked over at her. Star didn't understand the silent conversation they were having and spoke up again.

"I don't care if you believe it, but it's true. I just wanted to tell him I knew so I would know what to do. I guess you guys don't know either." She paused again, hoping to get something of a response from them but they still only stared.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, she heard the familiar click of Paulina's heels coming behind her.

"What's going on here? Were you telling them how pathetic they look probably trying to break Freaky Fenton out of his locker?" Paulina sneered at Manson and Foley.

Foley actually had to grab Manson by the wrist to stop her from reaching at the Latina girl. Paulina hardly flinched away and Star looked down at the floor.

"Forget it Sam, we've got bigger problems. She's not worth it." Foley said, starting to walk away.

"You're right Tucker- _they're _not worth it." Manson spat back at them even as she let Foley start to pull her away.

Right at that moment, Star made her choice.

"No." Star nearly yelled. "I was talking to them Paulina, because they're people too and don't deserve to be treated how you- how we treat them. I was trying to start over because I can't stop feeling guilty for everything I've helped you put these people through and I would really appreciate it if you mind your own business for once."

It seemed like everyone in the hallway froze. Nobody seemed to be able to move, like they were all waiting to give Star the chance to take it all back. She didn't know where all that confidence came from, but she was thankful for it when Paulina only huffed and turned angrily leaving her with a wide-eyed Manson and Foley.

"I meant that with everything I had. I'm sorry for the way I treated you all and every one before. I do want to start over with you two and Fent-Danny, if you'll give me the chance." Star finished, feeling awkward with them still staring at her.

Just as she turned to leave, one of them spoke to her. Surprisingly, it wasn't Foley who seemed open to giving her a chance.

"Ask us your questions after school, we'll decide then how much you've changed." Manson told her, but before she could smile the Goth spoke again. "This isn't what I want, but Danny would kill us for not giving you a second chance."

Then she turned and left with a quickness that surprised the blonde. Foley stuck around only a few seconds longer; long enough to shoot her a 'she means it' look and follow his friend down the hall.

Star was left standing along in the hallway as the bell rang.

* * *

Star sat on the steps of Casper High for forty minutes after school ended waiting for Manson and Foley to show up. This was no doubt some screwed up test for her; they wanted to see if she would stick to her word and meet them later.

Well she had, now where were they?

Just as she started thinking it wasn't a test but a set up and a bit of payback sprinkled in to make her look and feel like a fool, she heard the steady _thud _of Manson's steel-toed boots and the soft beeps of Foley's PDA.

She looked up from the ground and saw them standing over her so she rose to meet them, quickly dusting herself off and composing herself.

"Thanks for showing up." Star found herself saying.

The iciness around Manson thawed a little, her shoulders dropping. Clearly, she had been expecting a change of heart.

"Thanks for waiting, we were trying to find Danny." Man-_Sam _told her.

She was going to start over, so being on a first name basis would probably help her case. Not _Manson _and _Foley_, she reminded herself, but _Sam _and _Tucker. _

"Any luck?" Star asked hopefully. They glanced between each other again.

"We can't get a lock on his Ecto-signature, he's probably not in town. If he's still on Earth." Tucker replied, glancing back down to his device.

Star deflated a bit, but reveled in the little bit of information. The first statement that confirmed the theories she'd been having since yesterday. Danny Fenton was Danny Phantom.

Well, it didn't sound like a revelation when you put it that way.

"So it's true, then? He really is… you know… Phantom?" Star asked. She needed to hear someone else say it for it to be real.

"Yeah. Yeah he is." Sam replied. "But don't think we're answering all your questions right now. There are things you don't get to know- not yet, and certain things would be better if Danny told you."

"You really don't trust me, do you?" Star asked. She couldn't deny she was hurt, but she understood.

"We don't trust easily anymore." Tucker told her. "Fool me once, you know?"

"The only reason you're here is because we both believed you knew too much not to figure it out for yourself if you hadn't already by the time you came up to us in school. If you _know _something like this, we'd rather know what you know than leave you off to play junior detective." Sam explained.

"And because we decided you deserved a second chance. No way Paulina's gonna let earlier go, we'd rather give you the chance to have us than nobody." Tucker added.

"Sounds like you guys have dealt with this kind of thing before." She commented despite herself.

"One too many times." Sam muttered to herself and for the first time, Star thought about what a toll Danny's secret would've taken on her too. On both of them. "I guess you have some questions, right?"

Star nodded. Where did she even begin?

* * *

**Well it's about time someone in Amity Park started using their heads! I tried to make this as believable as possible with how I've portrayed Star so far and how we've seen her behave in the show; it's hard writing someone that seems to not have anything beyond solid character design. Let me know how I did and I'll hopefully see you all again soon!**


	5. Eerie Silence

**Behind Blue Eyes**

* * *

**I don't own Danny Phantom, but man I wish I did.**

**Sorry about the slight delay, had some trouble figuring some specifics out in a way I was happy with and didn't ruin the theme and pacing of the story so far. I think I've finally got it, so hopefully a conclusion to this story should be reached soon. Read on, readers.**

* * *

**Eerie Silence**

It had been a whole day since Star talked with Sam and Tucker.

It had been a whole day since she learned that Danny Fenton had been Phantom for as long as Phantom had been around saving people in Amity Park and she still didn't know what to think. Sam and Tucker were nice enough to answer a lot of her questions but it still felt like there was so much she didn't know.

There were some questions she wished the two would've answered better, but those were the same ones they told her to ask Danny about. They said that if he wanted her to know about things like how exactly he became Phantom and whether or not he was dead or alive that he would tell her.

That's not to say she didn't get filled in on a lot; many of the dots she'd been pointlessly trying to connect had connected themselves with the revelation of Danny's half-ghost status. She also learned that that was what he and the other ghosts referred to him as; a half-ghost and that apparently most if not all of the ghosts knew that he was a half-ghost, half-human and his human identity.

"_Isn't the point of a secret identity to keep your enemies from figuring out who you are?" _Star had asked after Tucker mentioned the other ghosts knowing.

Both Tucker and Sam paused a bit too long before Tucker belted out a nervous laugh.

"_Danny never was good with remembering comic book tropes, he got a little confused." _Tucker tried to joke through this bit of the conversation, but his stilted tone and Sam's aversion of eyes gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

It had been a whole day until she realized why.

Danny was more afraid of humans than ghosts. Ghosts knowing who he was seemed to be nothing more than an inconvenience; they seemingly never tried to expose him or go after his friends all that often, was them really knowing who he was that big of a difference? Even if they did, fighting back against them was as easy as breath-... was easy, comparatively. He couldn't exactly fight his parents or the government the way he fought ghosts.

It was the humans that would change things. His parents might not believe him, might think he was possessed. They might have done unspeakable things if he told them the truth. The rest of the town was no better; it was only in the last few decades that segregation and racism had stopped being normal, unproblematic things and for some reason, Star wasn't sure she trusted that _everyone _would accept Danny was still Danny. Still human.

They said that before her, only three people knew about Danny's secret; it was the two of them and Danny's older sister Jasmine Fenton. They were the only one's he trusted enough to know, to count on, to tell the truth with. The ghosts that he fought on a daily basis, that tried to invade the world and take over the town, that maimed and scarred and brutalized him for the last two years knew him better than almost every single person in Amity Park that he had grown up around and seen every day for over ten years.

And now, because of her and everyone else's carelessness and obliviousness, it had been two whole days since anyone had seen Danny Fenton or Phantom anywhere. He had missed school two days in a row, Sam says Jazz told her he hasn't come home or called her either and neither Sam or Tucker heard a word from him since she pulled him back after school that day.

Star, along with Danny's friends and sister, couldn't help but get increasingly worried.

At first, they told her this was somewhat normal. This wasn't the first time Danny had disappeared, caught up in his own ghostly adventure and was either too forgetful or unable to call them and it surely wouldn't be the last. But the other times, the ghosts attacked Amity Park in his absence.

There hadn't been a single ghost sighting in Amity Park for two days. Since Phantom and the painter had their brawl through Amity's skyline that fateful afternoon forty-eight hours ago. Everybody noticed the lack of ghosts, but only Sam, Tucker and Jazz seemed more on edge without ghost attacks than with.

Star was beginning to see why.

Amity Park was somehow even more eerie without ghosts than with them. And just as much so without Danny Fenton, Star couldn't help but notice.

No drops in temperature throughout the day. Interesting new stories on ghost battles were replaced with boring traffic reports and weather updates. Conversations and gossip between parties at school slowed to a crawl with nothing _interesting_ in town going on anymore. Human crime seemed to be on the rise with people no longer fearful of being caught up in the destruction of their battles or being stopped by Phantom. Overall, it made the city feel slower.

The absence of her fellow classmate, however, was what was felt a lot more to Star.

It was strange not hearing Dash's cries of Danny's name in the halls. Not hearing his tired reply during role call. Not hearing the smack of his head against his desk in the middle of a lecture. Sam and Tucker felt it a lot worse than she did, she couldn't begin to imagine how they were holding themselves up enough to come to school.

Nobody else was even aware of the very real chance that Danny Fenton might not come back. They didn't even know something was _wrong_, much less so that he could be in danger. She didn't know how they had managed to live like this for two years. They went through two years of keeping secrets, of pretending. She felt like she was about to explode after two _days._

"Miss Anderson!" Star was jostled back to reality by Falluca's cutting voice. "Not dozing off in my class, are you? I trust you know better than trying to be the new Mr. Fenton."

She bit her tongue when she found herself desperately claiming there was no reason for a _new _Mr. Fenton. She looked away, trying to give the impression she was embarrassed she was caught while she glanced backward to Sam and Tucker.

They both sent her small sympathetic smiles even though they each looked like they hadn't slept since yesterday.

"Sorry, Mr. Falluca." She replied as quickly as she could, regaining her thoughts.

She winced, the phrase reminding her terribly of Danny, but nobody noticed.

* * *

"Is this what it feels like? To not be noticed?" Star asked curiously to Sam as they stood in line at lunch.

"What do you mean?" Sam replied tiredly. She was functioning on autopilot, barely looking at what was shoveled onto her tray.

"I feel like I'm breaking inside, but nobody else knows. Nobody else _can _know."

Sam paused and Star didn't think she was getting an answer. They stepped out of line, Sam immediately throwing her tray in the trash, realizing the slop on it for the first time and started walking away. A few steps later, she turned.

"Why don't you come sit with me and Tucker today?"

Star smiled for the first time that day.

* * *

Every class for the rest of the afternoon, Star wanted nothing more than for Danny to burst in like he usually did, proclaiming something about getting lost or falling or even a sheepish apology.

He didn't, and Star could feel the pit in her stomach growing with each figure she saw pass the door that wasn't him. Sam left the room before Lancer could call Danny during role in eighth period, unable to hear him not respond for the umpteenth time that day. Tucker took responsibility for bringing homework to the boy despite knowing he wouldn't be there to drop it off to.

Star walked out of the building with them, ignoring the looks in the halls and Paulina's once scathing words.

"Feel any better?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yeah," She paused. "Thanks."

Sam and Tucker lived in opposite directions, so they split up a few blocks from school. _Catch you later, _they said. Star could only nod before dragging herself all the way home.

* * *

She was practically torturing herself doing this, but it brought her a strange form of comfort to watch some of Phantom's ghost fights online. It was the most she could see of the ghost boy right now and it was a lot closer than she could get to Danny Fenton's baby blue eyes.

She found one from a few days ago, the day after he saved her at the football game and suddenly a few things became clearer than ever. She watched as Phantom fought Skulker, one of the more frequent members of his rogue's gallery, through the skies.

It was different, seeing him fight while knowing the truth.

She and the A-list had once watched videos like this for entertainment and enjoyment. Paulina would rave about how handsome the Ghost Boy looked saving people and swooping onto the scene. She never failed to mention how hot he was, mentioning his muscles and powers at every turn while Dash and Kwan looked at him like their own personal Superman. Even she herself had gotten caught up in it all before, cheering on Phantom like the ghost fights were a boxing match on cable television.

But now, as she watched Phantom's leg get caught in a giant green bear trap and leave him open to a giant rocket launched at him, she winced instead and remembered Danny Fenton only minutes after the fight. Palm sized ink blotches on his left thigh weren't ink at all, but blood seeping from wounds that no ordinary person could recover from and no doubt severe burns on his right shoulder where the rocket struck, severe enough that the weight of even his backpack strap and simple t-shirt would irritate it.

Phantom's screams of pain and frustrated grunts were once something she didn't think twice about, but those days were behind her when all she could picture in his place was the classmate she grew up with in his place. It wasn't too long ago she wouldn't have even noticed those kinds of injuries on him in class, but now that she knew enough to recognize what made them was something that she wasn't sure she wanted to be able to do.

She watched as Phantom parried Skulker's fist with his own only to have another bear trap shoved in his face by Skulker's other hand. The green metal snapped shut as it was pressed into Phantom's face, snapping ruthlessly on either side of his head and Star was sure she just nearly had a heart attack. The only thing that seemed to save him was his reaction time, having experienced the trap once before was enough warning to let him phase out of it with little more than small punctures on both sides of his face and neck.

It was something as simple as seeing the effects the fights had on him that made Star feel uneasy. They all thought he could do anything, be anywhere, save anyone. There were worse ways to see him, and Star was sure that unlike a lot of his other fans there was nothing Phantom could do or say to convince Dash and Kwan that he wasn't a hero, or invincible or Superman. But it didn't sit right with Star anymore, knowing.

She wasn't sure if she liked it better or not yet. She was glad she knew, glad she figured it out and glad that Sam and Tucker hadn't shut her out upon her revelation. But there was a part of her that wanted more than anything to go back to the way things used to be; normal.

Normal seemed like such a weird word now and she wasn't sure she would ever use that word to describe her life again. Even just the thought of the word made her feel totally helpless and then she remembered she could only begin to understand what Danny, Sam and Tucker felt like. They had pretended for years to be normal and their worlds had changed drastically more and at a much faster pace than hers had.

Her thoughts had left her unable to pay attention to her laptop until she heard cries of pain again, much more intense and she was jolted back to reality. Her computer had auto played the next video in her absentee behavior which she was now realizing was a video of Phantom another ghost who showed up a lot; Plasmius.

She wasn't sure what they were fighting over or why, but it was Phantom's strongest power that had jolted her back to reality.

The Ghostly Wail.

Even through a computer screen, the effects the Wail had on anybody listening were awful. Every time he used it, it was loud and destructive but there was always a sense of anger, desperation, loss and so much more. The town had only confirmed the name and the source recently since it was a power Phantom rarely showed off presumably for multiple reasons. But it always seemed to get the job done.

Star could remember being mere blocks away when Phantom had unleashed one once and it felt like all she could hear were the screams of a thousand souls being burned alive. Wailing in desperation, trying to escape. Trying to live. It shook everybody the same way, it seemed, because whenever the attack was used it seemed to disorient everybody in the area.

The Ghostly Wail created a very eerie, haunted noise when used and left behind a deafening, cold silence. Star almost wondered if that's what Danny sounded like when he died.

It was that thought that made her slam her computer shut, unwilling to think about those kinds of things now more than ever with Danny missing. She didn't understand, but she felt like all the problems in the world would be solved upon his return.

She had to do something to stop herself from thinking, but she didn't know what. There was no way she could hang out with Paulina or any of the A-list after her stunt in the hallway. She hadn't come groveling to Paulina for forgiveness yet, so she would still be on the outs for them. Not that she would want to anyway, but just because you don't use the safety net every time doesn't mean you don't notice when it's not there.

Sam and Tucker were also probably a no-go. She wanted to try and ease into their friendship, not force herself upon them. She wanted to be friends with them, not just Danny and not just because she now knew some of their secrets and that would take time. Besides, hanging out with Danny's best friends probably wouldn't help her take her mind off Danny very much.

Phone in hand, she scrolled through her contacts and debated over calling the one person left she thought might be able to help her.

Valerie Grey.

They hadn't talked much since Paulina kicked her out of the A-list, but they talked still. Against Paulina's wishes of course, as she desperately didn't want anyone that she was friends with to be associating with the now lowly Valerie Grey. Still, Star couldn't help herself and found herself not only talking with Valerie still, but not bothering to hid it from Paulina.

Valerie was the single person Star felt like she could be honest, truly honest, with for a long time. Valerie was always the kind of person who took her friendships seriously and deeply, so it was no wonder she grew closer to Star than the other girls whose friendships seemed to take a more surface level approach.

But still, Star felt like she had failed Valerie by letting Paulina cast her aside and leaving her alone. After the incident, she was rarely seen with anyone in school again except for, ironically enough, Danny Fenton and his friends but those times were few and far between. At the time, Star had been totally encapsulated with Paulina and her Queen Bee status, she never would have thought about giving up her position in the A-list for Valerie.

The more she thought about it, that was her biggest regret. No time like the present, right?

She pressed dial.

* * *

**So as you can see, another shorter, Danny-less chapter here. I had some specifics to figure out since this story changed so much from what I was originally envisioning when I started, which is why some of you more observant readers might have noticed the summary change. **

**I hope everyone is happy with the slight change and deviation from the original plan, but it shouldn't be too long now before the rest becomes clear. Hope to be back again soon! As always, leave your thoughts behind!**


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